Santa Rosa police chief to bring 3 officers to Montgomery High School Monday, attend ‘listening session’ Tuesday

Three Santa Rosa police officers will be at Montgomery High School Monday when classes resume amid outcries of ongoing safety concerns after a student was fatally stabbed the morning of March 1.

Police Chief John Cregan said the officers could remain on campus Tuesday, too.

They will be there to provide a sense of security, reassure parents and students and answer any questions they may have, Sgt. Chris Mahurin added.

In a Saturday morning statement, Cregan said he has “hand-picked three police officers to welcome students and staff back and be a reassuring presence on campus. The officers will be available, if needed, to talk with teachers, parents and students, to let them know that they are safe.”

Cregan said he is “ready to listen” to students and other voices from the community expected to be part of a 4:30 p.m. Tuesday “listening session” hosted by Santa Rosa City Schools at Friedman Event Center on 4676 Mayette Ave. in Santa Rosa.

In a separate statement sent out late Friday, Superintendent Anna Trunnell said the entire Santa Rosa community was invited to Tuesday’s listening session.

Message to the SRCS Community, March 3, 2023

“Our immediate focus has been to take care of the students and staff at Montgomery, and because our community has shown such compassion and support, we want to thank you for joining our efforts to offer love and grace to those who need it most, our children,” she said.

“The loss of a young life, a future that will not be realized, must be our call to action.”

She added: “This is a whole community effort, which is why we are working with the County Office of Education to call together leaders from across our community, including schools, mental health professionals, social support services, clergy, law enforcement and more to review the support systems that we have in our schools to help create spaces where our students can connect in healthy relationships, engage in their learning, and grow academically and socially.

“There are hundreds of people who work tirelessly in our schools every day to help meet the needs of our students and we know that their work can be even more impactful when our community has a strong tapestry of supports that share a commitment to invest in and support our children.”

Trunnell acknowledged “our lives were shattered by the loss of a young life.”

But there is a commitment to rebuild public trust.

“We want our schools to be the place where all students come to learn and invest in their abilities, talents, and academics so that the world is full of opportunities for them,” she said. “While teams of professionals are studying what happened, we want everyone in our school community to know that we see this devastating loss as a call to action to review and fortify the systems and resources that we have in our schools to make them safe, welcoming, and happy places for our children.”

Tuesday’s meeting will be followed on Wednesday by the school district’s regular 6 p.m. board meeting at Santa Rosa City Hall, in Council Chambers, 100 Santa Rosa Ave.*

In the wake of 16-year-old Jayden Pienta’s death, students, parents and others have taken to social media and other forums to express concerns student safety has been undermined.

Some students also have accused school and public officials of not caring about their needs until the incident.

At a March 1 news conference at the school, Cregan pointed out the Santa Rosa City School board voted to remove city police from the school.

In June 2020, in the wake of nationwide police brutality concerns, Santa Rosa City Schools trustees voted 7-0 to suspend the School Resource Officer program, a 25-year-old program that placed Santa Rosa Police officers in the city’s schools.

In a Friday interview with The Press Democrat, Trunnell said community members have asked for SROs to return to campus, and plans to revisit that discussion are underway.

“I want to stress that the complex topic of student well-being is not thoughtfully or properly addressed with just one action” and that more discussions with students, staff and community members will be held to explore solutions to their concerns.

Though plans to reinstate the SROs haven’t been officially placed on the school board’s agenda, Trunnell said the board is “still at a place where we are interested in thinking about what a resource could look like. Not certain that it would be exactly an SRO, but what would a resource look like?”

In Saturday’s statement, Cregan gave examples of the department’s commitment to community partnerships, including the Youth Community Police Experience, active shooter training for school faculty and a nonviolent rehabilitative counseling and education program.

*Editor’s Note: This article has been updated to correct the address where Wednesday’s regular 6 p.m. meeting of the Santa Rosa City Schools Board meeting will take place.

You can reach Staff Writer Jennifer Sawhney at 707-521-5346 or jennifer.sawhney@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @sawhney_media.